Curriculum Materials: Art in America
Heating and Light The family used the fireplace
primarily for heat, but also to provide extra light during
the long dark winter. The candle stand in one corner of the
room shows how colonists depended upon candles for
additional light. The stand's crossbar can be moved up and
down to adjust the height of the light. (The electric lights
seen in this slide are modern-day conveniences not yet
invented in the 18th century.) The ceiling of the room is
low and the windows small to conserve the heat. The windows
are small also because glass was expensive in colonial
times.
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